# Caxton prints the first English book in Bruges (c. 1473)

URL: https://allhistories.com/belgium/timeline/1473-caxton-prints-the-first-english-book-in-bruges
Themes: Key Events

In about 1473–1474 the English merchant William Caxton printed his own translation of Raoul Lefèvre's Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye in Bruges. It was the first book ever printed in English. He probably worked with the Bruges scribe and printer Colard Mansion, and he dedicated the book to his patron, Margaret of York. Caxton had spent many years in Bruges as governor of the English merchant community, and he learned printing in Cologne. Bruges was then the great market for luxury manuscripts, and Mansion also printed early French books there. In 1476 Caxton moved to Westminster and set up England's first printing press.

## Why it matters
English printing began in Flemish Bruges, a sign of the close cultural and commercial ties between the Burgundian Netherlands and England.

Ruler at the Time: [Charles the Bold](https://allhistories.com/belgium/rulers/charles-the-bold)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — William Caxton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Caxton)
- [Wikipedia — Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recuyell_of_the_Historyes_of_Troye)
- [Wikipedia — Colard Mansion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colard_Mansion)
- [Wikipedia — Margaret of York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_of_York)
- [Wikipedia — Burgundian Netherlands (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgundian_Netherlands)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Belgian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Belgian_history)